The interim President of the University of Virginia and the school’s rector say they will not sign an agreement with the Trump Administration. The so-called Compact for Academic Excellence offered preferential consideration for federal funding if UVA and eight other schools agreed to change their policies to conform with conservative views.In a letter to faculty, Paul Mahoney said they had written to the White House to confirm the school’s core values, noting that in their view federal research funding should be based on merit.“The integrity of science and other academic work requires merit-based assessment of research and scholarship,” they wrote.“A contractual arrangement predicting assessment on anything other than merit will undermine the integrity of vital, sometimes lifesaving research and further erode confidence in American higher education.”They pledged UVA would continue to strengthen free expression and inquiry, to protect academic freedom, ensure affordability and maintain institutional neutrality.The news came after hundreds of people filled the lawn at the University of Virginia to protest the proposed compact. Sandy Hausman was there and filed this report.

The interim President of the University of Virginia has announced he will not sign an agreement with the Trump administration. The so-called "Compact for Academic Excellence" offered preferential consideration for federal funding if UVA and eight other schools agreed to change their policies to conform with conservative views.